Photos courtesy of Hôtel Flaubert
Welcome to our monthly series: Destination France!
Each month we will share an in-depth feature on one of our favorite hotels or guesthouses from around France to help you feel right at home the minute you arrive.
Want to know where the classiest Parisians slip away for a holiday escape? It’s closer than you may think. Just two hours by train from the city center, the perfect seaside getaway awaits in Normandy’s twin coastal villages: Deauville and Trouville.
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For generations, this stretch of the Normandy coast has served as a weekend playground for Parisians. Known as the Côte Fleurie – the “Flowered Coast” – it enchants visitors with pastel, half-timbered façades of 19th-century villas, lush gardens, and overflowing floral window boxes.
One of these villas is a particularly charming seaside hotel where our team at MFCH had the privilege of staying. After three days of total bliss, we can confidently say: you should too.
About Hôtel Flaubert
Named after the famed French novelist Gustave Flaubert, the hotel was built in 1936 just meters from where the writer first encountered his muse, Elisa Schlésinger, a century earlier. Legend has it that Flaubert was inspired when Elisa’s veil blew away on the boardwalk – an encounter that sparked his literary career and forever tied Trouville to his imagination.
Perched directly on the beach, Hôtel Flaubert has welcomed beachgoers and holidaymakers for nearly a century. The golden sands of Normandy stretch right to the edge of the Neo-Norman building, offering unparalleled sea views in an atmosphere of relaxed, cozy luxury.
A Look Inside the Rooms and Suites
Every room is inviting, but nothing compares to waking up to an unobstructed view of the vast open sea from one of the ocean-facing suites. Breakfast can be enjoyed in bed, curled up under the crisp white linens, but it’s even more magical on the balcony with the sound of waves as your backdrop.
The décor is exactly what you’d imagine in a French seaside retreat: elegant toile de jouy pillows, navy blankets draped over the bed, and light wood and rattan furnishings. Whitewashed French doors open onto a classic wooden balcony – the perfect setting for your morning coffee or evening glass of wine.
The Bar and Literary Café
Le Bovary, the hotel’s bar and café, feels like the library lounge of an antique ocean liner. Antique barstools and warm teakwood anchor the space, while heavy curtains and plush seating create a cozy, storybook atmosphere.
It’s a perfect place to stop for a morning coffee, an afternoon apéritif, or an evening nightcap. A space made for lingering, it serves as an ideal little nook to enjoy with friends or to retreat solo and get lost in the pages of a book.
Exploring Trouville and Deauville
Once upon a time, Trouville and Deauville were separate villages, sitting on opposite banks of the river Touques where it meets the English Channel. Today, they flow seamlessly together, their landscapes and town centers complementing one another.
The beaches stretch for miles, an irresistible draw for families and travelers alike. Locals and visitors rent the iconic striped parasols that dot the sand, while a lucky few retreat to their private beach cabins.
In Deauville, high-end shopping flourishes, with Hermès, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton lining the chic streets. It was here, in fact, that Coco Chanel opened her first boutique, introducing her brand of stylish and practical seaside apparel to Parisian women vacationing on the coast.
Food lovers will find plenty to savor as well. The wonderful fish market on the port in Trouville brims with the morning’s catch where local fishermen sell directly from their boats. Lively harbor-side restaurants overflow with guests indulging in seafood that tastes as though it was pulled from the ocean just hours before hitting the plate – and it very well might have.
A Romantic Seaside Escape
Whether you’re planning a quick weekend from Paris or dedicating a longer trip to Normandy, a stay in Trouville and Deauville offers the best of both seaside charm and Parisian chic. And for a truly memorable vacation, Hôtel Flaubert is the place to retreat.
For more information or to book your stay, visit en.flaubert.fr
For additional ideas for travel around Deauville and Trouville, check out the Discovery Guide in the March/April 2024 magazine or shop our Itinerary to Paris, Normandy and the Loire Valley.